NAKAMICHI DRAGON 11.4.6 Home Surround Sound System REVIEW | Dolby Atmos | DTS:X Pro

It's here...the official in-depth review of the Nakamichi DRAGON 11.4.6 Home Surround Sound System. This is a long one, folks, so I have taken the liberty of providing chapters below, so you can skip around if needs be, or perhaps go to a specific section upon your return. Enjoy!
Order yours today NOW ON AMAZON!!! Clicking the affiliate link below helps support this channel AT NO EXTRA COST TO YOU, so thank you!!!
amzn.to/3u6kZt1
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CHAPTERS
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0:00 Cold Open
1:24 Intro & Reminders
4:16 What's Missing?
6:01 What's New Since Jan 2023
7:12 What's in the Box?
8:56 The Remote
10:38 Specs
15:38 Open Floor Plan Woes
18:10 XBOX One S Atmos?
19:22 SETUP: The App
22:38 SETUP: Main Menu
30:57 SETUP: Room Calibration
34:58 Surround Sound Shortcomings
38:07 This System Has POWER!
41:20 Bass Response
43:55 Night Mode
44:47 Gaming
46:17 Streaming & Upmixing
47:33 Music
50:56 RECAP
52.35 Final Thoughts
55:00 Outro
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MY HOME THEATER SETUP
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Valencia Oslo Luxury Home Theater Seating
us.valenciatheaterseating.com...
65” LG C1 OLED TV
Crutchfield - howl.me/chNr9ONsB1Q
Amazon - amzn.to/3lTcHMQ​​
Marantz SR7015
Crutchfield - howl.me/chNr9OFKp3N
Amazon - amzn.to/3F1VmcZ
IOTA AVX17 Preamp Processor
www.iotaenterprises.co.uk/pro...
Outlaw Audio Model 7000x Amplifier
Amazon - amzn.to/3NO6oGZ
Aperion Audio E7 Energy External Amp
www.aperionaudio.com/collecti...
Peachtree Nova300 Stereo Integrated Amp
www.aperionaudio.com/collecti...
Emotiva BasX A3 Amplifier
emotiva.com/collections/amps/...
FRONT LCR
Aperion Audio Theatrus T80 Cinema/Studio Monitors
www.aperionaudio.com/collecti...
Aperion Audio Verus Theatrus T65S Slim Design Cinema/Studio Monitor
www.aperionaudio.com/collecti...
FRONT WIDES & VOICE OF GOD
Aperion Audio Novus Slim N6SC LCR
www.aperionaudio.com/collecti...
SURROUNDS
Aperion Audio Theatrus T65 Cinema/Studio Monitor
www.aperionaudio.com/collecti...
SURROUND BACKS
Aperion Audio Novus N6T Tower Speakers
www.aperionaudio.com/collecti...
ATMOS HEIGHT SPEAKERS
Aperion Audio A5 Height Module
www.aperionaudio.com/collecti...
LG UBK90 4K Blu-ray Player
Crutchfield - howl.me/cjaQUPGzaYc
Amazon - amzn.to/2UtSnZ0
2022 AppleTV 4K WiFI + Ethernet (3rd Gen)
Target - howl.me/cisDkXbJlob
Best Buy - howl.me/cisDm1Yyj9T
Amazon - amzn.to/3TeNTOl
Nintendo Switch
Best Buy - howl.me/cjyeWi0jQDR
Target - howl.me/chNr9OyO7uf
Amazon - amzn.to/2Tqra96
14 AWG Copper Speaker Wire
Amazon - amzn.to/3cmGoCP​​
Monoprice Low Profile 22 Lb Capacity Speaker Mounts
Amazon - amzn.to/3ckelDM​​
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MY VIDEO GEAR
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Audio Interface - Focusrite Scarlett 18i20
Crutchfield - howl.me/civ2hfAl6qc
Amazon - amzn.to/3UDXK1w
Sennheiser MKE600
Amazon - amzn.to/3slMidQ​​
B&H Photo - www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...
Sony A7 II Full Frame Mirrorless Camera
Adorama - howl.me/cjyeYXlgb82
Best Buy - howl.me/chNr9OV8FEQ
Amazon - amzn.to/3GJqFty
DJI OM 4 SE
Adorama - howl.me/cjyeZTs9osQ
Best Buy - howl.me/chNr9OV8FEQ
Amazon - amzn.to/3zXAYcY​​
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LINKS
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Everything you need can be found at the link below! Woohoo!
linktr.ee/ealanosborne
#nakamichi #hometheater #dolbyatmos
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DISCLAIMERS
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I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites

[@cesarcatalan9073]

I don't even know where or what to say! I AM SPEECHLESS!! Mine just arrived today. I hooked it up and it is ABSOLUTELY AWESOMELY AMAZING!!! no need to pay over 10k in a surround sound. If you live in an apartment, better let your neighbors know it's about to get loud. I'm so impressed and excited. Really sounds like you're in a movie theater. Worth the wait. 🙏👍👍

[@ealanosborne]

Hooray!! 🎉

[@RedLeo-pf9yo]

Forget your neighbors, It’s time to Rock !!!!

[@jamesrose298]

My neighbors already complaining they say they can’t feel the bass lol now so I don’t have to hear them cry the sub levels are set to 3 and still sounds good

[@cesarcatalan9073]

@jamesrose298 Hahaha, I'm no expert on sound and I'm sure 98% of population isn't either. So, for those that have negative stuff to say that it doesn't have this and that. We don't know nor care what the heck they're talking bout. The rest of the 98% think it's AMAZING! hahaha

[@iikatinggangsengii2471]

ah 1st friend, congrats, its jh owner though, thought it would be a18t first

[@RedLeo-pf9yo]

I just want to thank the people at Nakamichi for being so awesome !!!!!!!

[@MaZEEZaM]

I just wish they would export to Australia so I can buy the system.

[@iikatinggangsengii2471]

its great and well worth the money, but go for m17 if you want more 'upgradeability' not that sp3000 cant, its just not as cost efficient

[@iikatinggangsengii2471]

cayin is great, and expected lul, but tbh go for astells if you decide to go portable n30le isnt much better, but better

[@frozengfx1]

Amazingly detailed yet easy to understand. Ealan, you've taken your time with this video and it paid off. Thank you for reviewing this awesome unit. There isn't a lot that I understand in terms of the codecs and technology that sound systems use but you always manage to break it down in bite sized pieces. Thank you bud! Great Job 👏👏👏

[@ealanosborne]

Thank you so much! 😁🎉

[@fragranceandcooking]

A great value system that offers the technologies you only get with the best receivers! Sound is great and Nakamichi clearly has a winning product!

[@MaZEEZaM]

I'm not sure about value as it was going to cost $7,000+ AUD in Australia but it clearly is a darn good speaker system. Sadly they decided not to sell into Australia regardless of demand.

[@3rd_gen_j]

I was lucky enough to get in on the first 500. I absolutely love how clean and loud it is! I currently rent my house, so a dedicated AVR and separate speakers is out of the question. This definitely fills that void, and then some! Set up is amazingly easy. It has enough inputs for the Apple TV, PS5, and Xbox. I personally think the price is a steal for what you get, plus free shipping

[@MsMarco6]

I don't understand why would renting prevent you from having separate speakers. None of your speakers have to be wall mounted, my atmos setup is all on stands and I don't see why that would be a problem.

[@Jacob-ed1bl]

​@MsMarco6 Speakers getting knocked over, speakers and other equipment taking up to much space, just to name a few.

[@HTadd1ct]

Is sound quality and immersive Dolby atmos not important? I had a soundbar and will never on my entire life have another one ever again.

[@shannonlewis6087]

Hey, I'm wondering with what TV you are paring this with. With your tv and this sound bar and the PS5 and series X, with all of the settings optimised. Are you able to get all possible top settings and in a practical, does it all work as it should using different brands together? So to explain a bit more, if you play a game on either console, your getting Max audio and visual possible with your set up? And with both options of using the e arc and plugging your consoles into your tv directly and using the pass through.

[@azuezx619]

That intro tells all about the product. Great review! You are stepping up the reviews every time!

[@ealanosborne]

Thank yooouuu! 🤘

[@RealCounterfeitCash]

Had mine for 24 hrs and cranked it halfway and was blown away by the highs and fidelity. As for the lows. The system definitely had low end power when you crank it. It's clean and efficient. I am a Tru basshead with 3 18 sundown zv6 in custom enclosure with 15k watts. With that said my ears are tunes to bass. The dragon has plenty for the average enthusiasts but I found myself wanting more. My dragon levels are maxed out on bass and treble. You have to lower the levels of the highs in order to be able to turn the system up higher to get more bass. Otherwise the highs are excruciatingly loud. I've barley gotten halfway to the maximum setting of 100

[@keithskoglund10]

That's good to know. I just bought the Dragon mainly for TV audio (movies/shows), but I also had a pretty high end car audio setup and I love EDM, so if I play music I definitely need it fulfill bass duties. I went more hi-fi system but went big on subs cuz hi-fi subs dont do shit lol. Focal KX3 fronts, Focal KX2 rears, 2x - Alpine PDX v9 amp actively powering single drivers, Limitless 45aH spare battery, then for bass - dual Fi 12' Q Neo Sub (1ohm), dual taramps hd3000 amps, DD audio DSI-2 sound processor, and some high end pioneer headunit at the time (forgot model).

[@RedLeo-pf9yo]

This sound bar system is straight from the gods !!!

[@hellterskeltor]

I absolutely love this thing, just unreal of a beast system unreal, and im still testing and tweaking the system. i have had mine now for 2 weeks and loving it. Thank you for your awesome review. It was very detailed and organized. I don't go past volume 20 on mine with 4k discs. However, on streaming platforms, i bump it up to 25. It gets very loud quickly and fast...the power of the dragon is awesome 😊 lol...

[@ealanosborne]

Right?! The fact that it can go up to 100 is insane. But for good reason! 😁

[@JollyGiant1213]

He was only at 20 but you can go up to 100?!? This is blasphemy madness!!!😵

[@iikatinggangsengii2471]

lul

[@gareatouai]

oooh, we were waiting for that review for some time now! Can't wait to watch it!

[@Noldy34]

Great review Ealan! Thank you for being very detailed and for sharing your thoughts. I have the Nakamichi Dragon in my loft and the Costco home theater 5.2.2 in my living room and honestly speaking the Dragon slayed the Klipsch speakers.😂 The Dragon height channels are so pronounced and very audible in my ears than my Costco Klipsch front firing floor speakers. I want to ask if you tried doing the Nakamichi Dragon demo out of the box? I did first and I was blown away. Anyway, great review sir!

[@ealanosborne]

I did not do the demo. I will before I have to send it back, though, for sure! 😎🎉

[@Noldy34]

Please let me know your thoughts after. Thank you and congratulations on your success!🎉

[@michael-4k4000]

The dragon will eat your lunch!

[@jasondhamm]

It's always fun to see reviews for current unobtainium! It's a great concept for what it is. Thanks for this review!

[@JCATG]

I waited months for this! Thank you finally doing a review on the Nakamichi Dragon! I watched thoroughly from beginning to end-every second of it-and I had fun. Eversince I saw your initial experience video on the Nakamichi Dragon awhile back, I was intrigued by it and I eagerly looked for reviews online, both written and audio-visual. Your review here was more than fair. The criticism you gave regarding the pinpoint accuracy was just logically honest since we can only 'fool' the brain so far into perceiving sound from somewhere. You have my like for this video, man! God bless you. 🙏🏼 P.S. I hope you would do more videos of this, especially with trying it out on your home theatre room to hear the contrast from your living room and to truly maximize the experience as it was made to be.

[@ealanosborne]

Well unfortunately I had to send it back already. But thank you for the kind words!

[@riteshdhoot7]

Most comprehensive review. Amazing job Ealan. Thank You. Thank you so much.

[@ealanosborne]

Thank YOU! 🎉

[@dongidongi]

Thanks for the super detailed review Ealan! My unit is about to ship in the next couple days - I'm looking forward to setting it up over the Thanksgiving week. I have a nice long rectangular shaped room with walls on both sides - but an open area at the back. It might work better for me with some of the negatives you noticed. Appreciate the super detailed review here!

[@ealanosborne]

Oh for sure! I think the placement of objects will work much better for you! 😁🎉 Contrats! Just in time for family gatherings! 🦃

[@dongidongi]

Also, I ended up finding your videos trying to learn about AVRs and component-based systems - maybe about 2 years back. Now I went a totally different direction - and great to see you producing some content around that!

[@dongidongi]

Well, UPS and Nak effed it up. I might get it late next week:(

[@ealanosborne]

@@dongidongi Awwww, bummer!

[@dongidongi]

First world problem, really ;)

[@serjfernezian957]

As usual you never disappoint!! Thank you for your awesome review. 🔥👍

[@ealanosborne]

Thank you very much! 🎉

[@michael-4k4000]

Ealan Rocks

[@nekerrivera]

As usual great review Elan. Since this is an hour long I thought about watching it tonight having a drink and smoking a good cigar but I was getting so impatient and I just finished watching it oh oh man what a good review. Hopefully my dragon will arrive early next week.

[@ealanosborne]

Yes, hopefully! 🤞🤞

[@watch_your_six]

I received my unit and this thing is an absolute BEAST. No regrets here. It fits my current needs.

[@MrBjorn6]

That's how most owners feel!

[@pedroortiz9744]

Amazingggg review, I was waiting for you review💯

[@ealanosborne]

Thank you! 🎉

[@ericspear3610]

Great review. Very thorough coverage of all the settings. It is even better for me now that I have been using my Dragon for a couple months now. I haven't watched as many movies on it as some owners have and I mostly watch streaming so am usually listening to Dolby Atmos MAT from Prime, Disney+, and Netflix. I watched The Matrix last night (now in Dolby Atmos) and the best Atmos scene I have ever experienced to date was when Neo rescues Morphius from the agents and they are both dangling under the helicopter. There is one part when Neo touches down on the roof of a building and the helicopter goes over your head and then down in front, it is in slow motion, so you get the wop, wop, wop of the rotors. I only had the volume at 20 but in my room, the sound pounded off the ceiling overhead. It was awesome! While this system is not cheap, I am so glad I grabbed one of the first (and $400 cheaper) ones out. Takes movie watching for me to a whole new level. Funny thing is, it was your review 10 months ago that made me pre-order the Dragon in the first place as soon as they opened ordering for the first 500. Ordered mine April 26 and received it on September 6. One question I have is why do you set the crossover to 120? Is that a standard setting for crossover on AVS systems?

[@ealanosborne]

Thanks for your kind words! And congrats on owning your own Dragon! 🎉 So, any Low Frequency Effects added by the mixing engineers are capped at 120 Hz, so I wanted to include all those effects. One thing I didn’t mention in the review (since it was already becoming so long) was that I tested the lowest frequencies that the main unit speakers could handle, which died around 80 Hz. So it was more like 100 Hz at normal volumes that they could handle. So because of that, I set the subs to 120Hz to cover all the low frequencies the rest of speakers wouldn’t be able to reproduce. 🎉

[@ericspear3610]

@@ealanosborne Thank you Ealan for that detailed explanation. I will relay this info to my Dragon owners Facebook group as a few of them had the same question about where to set the crossover frequency and why.

[@andyveres6245]

Superb, detailed, thorough review.

[@ealanosborne]

Thank you! 🎉

[@rbellot11]

Dude! Thank you for the very thorough explanation! Excellent.

[@ealanosborne]

You’re very welcome! 🎉

[@peterlundskow4061]

Thanks for the great detailed review! I am more a traditional stereo person but, have been looking into this kind of system that can do a good job in both fields. I actually own a high quality Nakamichi cassette deck that I have had for decades & it still impresses compared to advances in audio since. It is nice to see the quality has been brought back away from the junk they had produced in the years in between.

[@SynjynB]

HEY Ealan! Great Review!!! Love the intro!!! Too expensive for my taste, but not surprising with how much you get. I still love my Sony A9 though.

[@joshfoti]

Woah waiting for this for ever!

[@ealanosborne]

Me too! So stoked to finally put it out there! 🎉

[@ThomasBaird]

Thank you Ealan for an excellent review that covered so much information about the Dragon. I have no regrets purchasing one of the first 500 as I wanted to experience 360 degrees of sound in my open concept living room without breaking the bank on a high end AVR, multiple amps, and having physical speakers wired and installed in the ceiling. Check out the Dragon Cinema System if you want the same results..... Cheers! PS: you reminded me that I need to watch the first John Wick film and Gladiator, LOL

[@ealanosborne]

You’re welcome for the reminders! 😁 And I truly appreciate your kind words.

[@shamad58]

WAW Thanks this is why I was waiting for your review

[@ealanosborne]

You’re welcome!! 🎉

[@frankvee]

Great review of the DRAGON. And, I really like your sense of humor.

[@ealanosborne]

Thank you! 😁🙌

[@rjfreimuth]

Mine literally just showed up on the door step.. You aren't joking 120 plus lb box. I used a furniture dolly to help me out. Can't wait to get them setup and fired up. I'm retiring a Denon 7.1 AVR that was powering an old Cerwin Vega 5.1 speaker setup. Thanks for the review and tips.

[@ealanosborne]

Niiiiice! Congrats!! 🎉🎈

[@mikemmikem2758]

Thank you for such a thorough and honest review of this system. Interestingly, I have about the same room and acoustics as you; open with big windows and patio door. Another excellent video. Thanks again.

[@ealanosborne]

Thank you very much!

[@michael-4k4000]

We need GameChanger boys, GameChanger

[@jualbertorivas]

awesome review as usual

[@ealanosborne]

Thank you! 🎉

[@MrTrentonMakes]

Great detailed review, it might be even more enjoyable in a different room with walls and a lower ceiling. I’m certainly jealous that my Sennheiser plus soundbar doesn’t have surrounds to go with two subs but my couch is against the back wall in my living room so it fills the space nicely. Don’t know if the Ambeo affect is comparable to the Dragon, maybe something to compare.

[@ealanosborne]

I’ve tried getting the Ambeo numerous times. Although it’s been awhile. I should hit them up again! 😁🎉

[@techsamurai11]

These ears are my car-ear! 😀 Love it Ealan! Beautiful Home!

[@ealanosborne]

Thank you! 🎉

[@julioirizarry4262]

Another home run of a review!! Unfortunately I’m already deep invested with 2 subs , era’s 300 surround and the arc, which is for now okay. Will definitely think in switching at some point, since this system as you reviewed sounds amazing. Great content and long time subscriber. Julio

[@ealanosborne]

Thank you for your kind words! 🌈

[@techsamurai11]

I'm not sure it's worth the switch, you already have an amazing system. You'll see the cons as much as the pros. I was thinking of getting the Sony avrs for the spatial but I was watching Spiderman across the spiderverse. I have a 5.1 with a denon 4800h and an amp and the effects are still better than my iMax (the real ones) theater. I have to lower the volume all the time so my family won't kill me. Sometimes we get crazy looking for a 2% upgrade...

[@IronmanToday]

Thanks for the video!! Amazing review! Could you share the link for the Speaker stands you used ?

[@ealanosborne]

Here you go! www.aperionaudio.com/collections/stands-wall-mounts/products/sanus-steel-series-sf34b-34-speaker-stand-pair?ref=xgnDvScPYS9H3

[@salehkambijo1849]

It's a great coverage thank for the effort. Am very interested but my projector doesn't have eArc port how can I enjoy hdr contents with Dolby Atmos play. Any ideas?

[@joaosokas5040]

Great video EO, very well explained. Would love to get them but had to find in Europe and expensive :(

[@michael-4k4000]

This channel should have 1M subscribers. It’s that simple Jack!

[@ealanosborne]

Thank you very much! I WISH I had 1 million! 😁🎉

[@dbarnette89]

Big fan of the channel, had a curious question. Could be wrong, but assuming the frame tv has an in wall media enclosure with power behind it. Have you considered running another outlet to either behind the soundbar, or on the top of the mantel? Completely understand potential challenge of redoing the millwork of the mantel, but curious if you’ve thought about adding an additional outlet behind the soundbar, but having it turned 90 degrees to not see it behind the soundbar.

[@dbarnette89]

Scratch that, needed to keep watching the video and saw the Samsung box behind the Xbox. If you can, and I think it would be great content, do a video install of the in wall media enclosure for the frame tv. It’s not hard to install, did it at my in-laws house. Would be curious if there’s an outlet on the floor above, or the room behind that’s easier to fish, than to try to do from stud to stud in the millwork. I ended up fishing from the floor above in the install I did because I only had to drill through one stud location.

[@ealanosborne]

There is in fact an outlet behind the TV itself, but since the Frame is so thin and meant to be virtually flush against the wall, you can’t really plug anything into it. 😄 But this was temporary with the Dragon review. I have plans on installing some speaker wire soon with a speaker system that I’m dying to reveal to you all hopefully in December! 🤘

[@JeffreyFrye]

Great detailed review, and yes awesome intro! Hopefully you will get a chance to review the other wireless soundbar systems out there eventually as I'm always getting questions as to which soundbar system people should get if they don't want to go the discrete speaker/AVR route.

[@ealanosborne]

Me too! I want to test out the Q990C especially, since I have a Samsung TV, so I can check out their Q Symphony feature. 🎉

[@MrBjorn6]

@@ealanosborne That would be interesting to hear your opinion of the 990 c vs the Nakamichi Dragon especially with the price difference. The Nakamichi Dragon is $3899 vs the 990 c for $1399 on sale!

[@joshfoti]

Also wanted to add; you had the “thank you” note flashed on screen with a QR code on it. (Just before the 9 min mark) And the QR code takes you to a cool booklet :) That was a good treat!

[@ealanosborne]

Oh cool! Totally unintentional. 😄🙌

[@Gage3333]

Thanks for going over all the settings. You need a demo room.

[@joetilocca1233]

Thank you very much much. Well done. 😊

[@Gator5000e]

Wonderful review. One question. I didn't really hear a specific section on Atmos height effects. Was that because of your room setup? The Atmos height effects is the main reason I would entertain this system. Maybe you could elaborate a bit more. Also, right now I have a 5.0 system consisting of two Definitive Tech tower speakers for my fronts, a Golden Ear Super Center X center speaker and two Paradigm Cinema speakers as my rears all powered by a DennonS760H. Each of the speakers are excellent, with a very open with a great sound stage. Movie scores sound fantastic. But as I said, I really want an Atmos system but I cannot install upper wall or ceiling speakers where I live. So my question is will the Dragon sound as good as the 5.0 system I have now? Thanks again. And a new subscriber.

[@ealanosborne]

Hmmm…if your walls and ceiling aren’t too far away, the Dragon would do very well compared to your current system. The height effects are the most pronounced I’ve heard from a soundbar system. Still not the most accurate, but definitely sounds clearly coming from up high, which I can’t honestly say about any other soundbar system, since upward firing is not my favorite. 🎉

[@BornIn82]

What an epic intro 🤣

[@ealanosborne]

You’re welcome! 😄🎉

[@jamesrose298]

This thing paired with the ps5 or Xbox series x playing games in atmos is insane

[@wayneiceman]

This was a truly mega review Ealan. Both in content, coverage and class. Well done 👏

[@ealanosborne]

Man, I really appreciate comments like this. Thank you very much. 😎🎉

[@wayneiceman]

@ealanosborne are you going to get a new Denon 3800 or 4800? I am really interested to get your thoughts on directional bass with 4 subs.

[@HPMIKE55]

Great job bro! 😎👍

[@ealanosborne]

Thank you! 🎉

[@rjq8135]

Great video! Question… how’s the bass with music? I want something that hits hard but wireless lol. I have Nakamichi 1000w but doesn’t seem to hit has hard?

[@ealanosborne]

I think the subs were probably the most problematic since they would bottom out sometimes. They got down and rumbled the house, for sure, but that was with movies. Since music bass tends not to dig down as deep as cinematic bass, I’d say it was sufficient, yeah. 👍

[@smkaz81]

Great content 👌 👏 👍 Question, can you connect something to the dragon to make it part of a multi room system like a sonos connect or heos 🤔 Keep up the great content 👌 👍 👏

[@ealanosborne]

Sure! The Dragon does have an Optical input, to which you can connect something like a Wiim Pro, which can sync up to other Wiim products around the house. 👍

[@johnferguson7171]

What a great intro!

[@ealanosborne]

Thank you!!! 🎉

[@nekerrivera]

Hey Elan.I think it will be nice if you do a review of the Dragon in your theater room and let us know how that bouncing sounds effects really work on the dragon.

[@michaelrarela5734]

I own the Nakamichi Shockwafe Ultra 9.2, which I rate at 4 stars. I drop a star for the Ultra because the frequency response is way too warm (no clear highs), and the EQ treble controls need to be more precise. However, I love the Ultra's rear surrounds on a 7.1 mix, as they are so much more immersive than a 5.1 system. Has anyone owned both a Shockwafe and Dragon? If so, how do you compare the two?

[@andrewe1253]

I have the 9.2.4 eArc and am looking to get the dragon. I read a lot of people saying the dragon is in another league, but I can't justify the cost of the dragon yet until I hear it myself. I think it will likely have an improvement over the 9.2.4 eArc, but by how much. Also the audio debth compared to traditional avr.

[@kinhtang808]

Thanks for the detailed review! No thanks to Nakamichi for not shipping to Hawaii! I would've had one in my house by now.

[@ealanosborne]

Hopefully soon! 🤞🤞

[@667Gurba]

The Xbox One X can output bitstream for proper surround. Used mine as 4k player a few years ago and that worked fine.

[@Seven7ails]

Daaaang! Im 9 days late on the review lol. My bad! Awesome sauce even though I have one already. Have a good Thanksgiving 🦃 Ealan

[@ealanosborne]

Sweet! Congrats on getting one for yourself! Happy Thanksgiving 🍁🦃😁

[@terrellturner485]

What speaker stands did you use for your surrounds? The stands you have seem pretty stable. Not to bad a setup for movie nights though, Awesome video!

[@ealanosborne]

www.aperionaudio.com/collections/stands-wall-mounts/products/sanus-steel-series-sf34b-34-speaker-stand-pair

[@michaelrarela5734]

Hi there Ealan, Is your TV size 65" or 75"? I see on your written description it says 65", but on your video, I think you spoke 75".

[@ealanosborne]

Correct. In the description, it refers to the 65” LG TV in my dedicated theater room. In the living room it’s a 75” Samsung Frame 🙌

[@JonahMatthes]

Only part way through the video, and it looks great so far! Just a note on the Xbox "Dolby Atmos". I believe it using Dolby MAT. It's a specific piece of hardware that encodes, decodes, and "adds in" the "Atmos" effects to PCM audio. It's very odd and there isn't a ton of information on it, but I talked a little bit about it in my Dolby Atmos Explained video. Great job Ealan!

[@ealanosborne]

Correct! Every time I played a disc thru the XBOX, it would display Dolby Atmos MAT on the Dragon, not TrueHD, which was a bummer. And thanks! It means a lot to hear from the Soundbar King himself. 🤴😁🙌

[@joelgonzalez8289]

Is there a discernable difference in Atmos between the Xbox Dolby MAT and the Panasonic?

[@joelgonzalez8289]

I was always under the impression that if the Xbox One S or X was set to bitstream it allowed the receiver to decode it. On my Yamaha it reads it as Dolby Atmos or TrueHd.

[@ealanosborne]

@@joelgonzalez8289 Yes, i have mine set to having the receiver decode the audio, with the XBOX passing the audio through. And yet, it still gives me Atmos MAT. Every once in awhile it’ll say TrueHD out of nowhere. Just strange. 🤷‍♂️

[@jakubp8641]

​@@ealanosborneMaybe try setting output to 5.1 or 7.1 PCM, but leave bitstream on of course. Then it shouldn't be mixing up those two different Atmos outputs.

[@mujiburchoudhury4552]

I cant see this for sale anywhere in the UK! Anyone know where to buy one?

[@JuanJose-wt5yj]

Thanks for the video. Have you made measurements with REW? Did you put the soundbar at ear level? It is poorly located vs the ears. Written with a translator. Greetings

[@ealanosborne]

I did not go so far as taking measurements with REW. Another reviewer may do that in the future. 🤷‍♂️ And since I’m tall, the soundbar is only 1 foot above my head and I’m sitting 11.5 feet away, so it’s not bad at all.

[@JuanJose-wt5yj]

@@ealanosborne Thanks for answering. At the moment, if no one makes measurements with REW, everything is very subjective data. I hope another reviewer can do measurements with REW. 1 feet (30 cm) above your ears probably has a lot of room for improvement. You would have to specify all this in your comments so that people are clear.

[@ealanosborne]

@@JuanJose-wt5yj I’ve personally moved away from measurements because 99% of my audience doesn’t have a care in the world about them. So I’m not going to continue to include them to please that 1%. A large portion of my subscribers are budget conscious and fairly new to home theater, so they just want to know if it’s good or not, worth it to buy or not. If you really want measurements, follow Joe n Tell and Erin’s Audio Corner who are fantastic (and my friends), and use measurements in just about every video. 👍

[@JuanJose-wt5yj]

@@ealanosborne Thanks for answering. Without objective and rigorous measurements I would not be able to recommend anything to my family and friends. I already know the 2 youtubers he mentions. Too bad neither of them have done a review of the Dragon. I'll be on the lookout in case they make it one day.

[@JayPatrol]

IT'S still a nice looking house i like the layout

[@eventhorizon2873]

i can't afford a dragon though i was thinking to buy one, but my income would not alow it😢 you cannot have everything you want, but i am happy with my 990c, wich is full of bs smart functions i do not want, but sound is great. i am happy for you guys if you got one, it is by far the most awesome avr/soundbar ever made.

[@shoug8387]

for the Xbox One S issue: Did you make sure to have "passthrough audio to AVR" set to on? By default Xbox does its own processing and you have to turn the passthrough on in order to get the audio without any extra encoding.

[@ealanosborne]

I did have that boxed checked, yeah. Still did weird stuff. 🤷‍♂️

[@craigosterberg5045]

Thanks for sharing

[@ealanosborne]

Absolutely, Craig! 😁🎉

[@gregoryslater5705]

Elan, What is your opinion of the Dragon vs Costco Klipsch Home theater pack plus Subs? Would the Dragon be an upgrade?

[@ealanosborne]

Channel separation and object placement would be more accurate with the Costco bundle + a budget AVR, but the Dragon would slay when it comes to dynamic range, dialog clarity and overall fidelity.

[@MohsinWadee]

How did you test the music tracks? From disc? Does the USB port play music from sticks etc?

[@ealanosborne]

According to the manual, the USB port is for firmware upgrades only. I just streamed music via Bluetooth and it still sounded great! But I could’ve gotten better fidelity if I would’ve played music through my AppleTV 4K via the Music App. That or the aux input, I guess. 🤷‍♂️

[@tomaszszeliga7531]

Not buying yet. But what a great review - thank you

[@richardmyers7181]

Ealan i have the denon avrx 4800h what external amplifier would you recommend for use with my Android Wear thank you on the demo of the Nakamichi dragon

[@ealanosborne]

Hi Richard! To be honest, I’m not sure I understand your question, since Android Wear is a smart watch operating system if I’m not mistaken? In general, if you need some external amps to power your main speaker zone, I always recommend Emotiva BasX amps, since they are very affordable.

[@henrichandrew]

Great review Ealan, I agree the Nakamichi is not just a common soundbar like other else. This Nakamichi Dragon soundbar is one whole complete package of Hifi audio, speakers, sound processor, receiver/amplifier and immersive sound experience. At least it stated on their website....Their engineers goal are outstanding and uncompromising hifi audio in more simple way in the appearance of a soundbar. As I know, this is the first in soundbar ever that using AMT (Air Motion Transformer) as its tweeter drivers. AMT use in high end HIFI speakers. The looks maybe not beautiful, but it's bulky and eye catching, once you see it, you'll notice that is not just a common and decent soundbar.

[@ealanosborne]

Exactly. No other soundbar has AMT tweeters. Maybe this will set a precedent that others will follow. 😁🎉

[@luiscordova1065]

I think for $4000 is not bad compared to make you own sourround system, I ready have the nakamichi 9.2 sounds bar I'm very happy with it My dream is to buy the new one same day 😂, good review my friend you have a beautiful house 🏠

[@ealanosborne]

Thank you very much! 😁🎉

[@pulDag]

Thanks for proper introduction and through out review of the unit, Ealan. Review shortcomings: - unpleasantly loud due the very lively environment without anything soft to tame the decay (should be pointed out) - Amt drivers have very limited vertical dispersion oppose to horizontal. - hour long video and no measurements? FR as a whole on couch and FR of subs with SPL capability/compression would be nice. Soundbar shorcomings: - if no Auto EQ with microphone (which should be standard on higher end soundbars); Why no PEQ? And if not, why at least Graphic EQ especially for base units? ..or I missed it?

[@MiguelRamirez-me2xz]

How well does it perform when streaming music from a phone to the soundbar using AirPlay, Spotify Connect, or Tidal Connect?

[@ealanosborne]

I mentioned in the video that it does not support Wi-Fi, which in turn means it does not support music streaming apps like AirPlay, Spotify Connect or Tidal Connect. It does support Bluetooth audio, which is how it listened to music on it, and it sounded spectacular! Classical music in particular was dynamic and filled my entire living room. 🎉

[@MiguelRamirez-me2xz]

@@ealanosborne I appreciate your feedback, and I apologize for the oversight regarding Wi-Fi support. It's great to hear that the Bluetooth audio delivered a spectacular experience, especially with classical music enriching your living room ambiance.

[@mettycarlson7415]

Danke für das sehr detaillierte Reviews. War sehr interessant. Die Einstellmöglichkeiten sind ja schier unglaublich. Was mir aber einfällt zu der Lautstärke die ja bei 20 bis 30 schon sehr laut ist. Ich habe gesehen, dass deine Lautsprecher sehr hoch eingepegelt sind, daher kann es sein dass die Maximallautstärke früher erreicht wird und gar nicht bis 100 hoch geht. Jedenfalls ein sehr geiles System. Schade dass nicht nach Deutschland geliefert wird.

[@ealanosborne]

Nakamichi are trying hard to find reliable distributors in the EU. Hopefully soon! 🤞🎉

[@MrFaleh1129]

will it work as well if you had a ceiling with grooves and cutout as part of a design , as i dont have flat ceiling ?

[@ealanosborne]

It’ll still work, but ideally a flat ceiling would be best 🤷‍♂️

[@michaeljude8142]

Mine should be here in January. Ordered about 3 weeks ago.

[@ealanosborne]

Yayyyy! 🎊🎉

[@muhammadwasim9861]

Caleb from DT, NeverEnoughTech, Techno Dad abd You are doing great. Great Review Man. ❤

[@ealanosborne]

Thank yooouuu! 🎉

[@kvtess]

Hey what are the chances of you reviewing a Samsung Q990c? at half the price I'd like to know how it stands up against the dragon. I haven't heard the dragon but I have the Samsung and it really rocks my entire living room.

[@ealanosborne]

Hopefully someday! Or perhaps the new Q990D… 🤞

[@kenkrugger]

I’m old enough to remember the Nakamichi Dragon from the 80’s. It was a legendary tale deck. I believe it cost several thousand dollars. I’m surprised no one here has mentioned it. I think there was a dragon turntable too.

[@jonathannoone4435]

Great review but just needs one 'tweak'. Creative Labs were actually ahead of Nakamichi in trying to bring to market an uber high-end 'hifi' grade soundbar with the Sonic Carrier which was a 17 speaker 11.2.4 arrangement with a $4000 (approx) price tag. However it kind of got forgotten as this was a LOT of money, especially in 2018!

[@chepesk132004]

por fin el análisis deseado

[@ealanosborne]

Yayyy! 😁🎉

[@michaelwyckoff7593]

Hey buddy I snaggaed one of those Panasonic blu ray players on sale at Amazon. Good looking out. 😊

[@ealanosborne]

Oh sweet! Hell yeah! 🤘

[@tylerdurden4483]

I'm trying to decide if i should buy one.. it's expensive.. but is it worth it?

[@ealanosborne]

Up to you, dude! I still prefer a traditional AVR+wired speaker system, personally, but you can't beat the fact that it's plug-and-play and powerful as hell.

[@houseofwaxkeepyourcool9982]

Have you seen just audios video on this !? I'm getting mixed reviews. How can you get one but they can't?

[@ealanosborne]

Just Audio’s video was mainly just a historical account of the Nakamichi brand and the Dragon name. He clearly knows a lot about audio, so I would LOVE for him to review it. But it’s all in who you know. I had a head start since I was one of the small group of reviewers who got a private demo at CES 2023 in Las Vegas back in January. It’s not a perfect system, but it’s in a category all its own, and was the best soundbar I had heard. Some aspects are a little gimmicky, but overall, it blew me away that a plug-and-play system could be so powerful and actually bounce audio off ceilings for a fully immersive soundstage.

[@aisidapatrick2781]

Wonderful video with in-depth analysis on the Nakamichi Dragon 11.4.6. Keep up with the great work.

[@ealanosborne]

Thank you so much! 🎉

[@stonesfan285]

Looks interesting. I am still a bit skeptical just because it's a soundbar and soundbars nearly always have small speakers with small drivers and just don't fill the room like a receiver and larger speakers can.

[@ealanosborne]

That’s also my hesitation with any plug-and-play soundbar system. The Dragon has HUGE sound, despite its 3 inch drivers. 🤘

[@marksentowski9851]

$3900? ……sure, maybe if I had that much……but I spent less than $1000 for my 5.2 Klipsch cinema 600 system and it’s great…… I guess I’ll start saving my pennies because this thing looks like a beast. Great review as always

[@MohsinWadee]

The Klipsch Cinema 600 doesn't do Atmos though. I have it.

[@ealanosborne]

Thanks!

[@hackztor]

Plenty of cheaper soundbars out that are still good. The samsung 990c would top that list of budget. Then if/when you have money sonos/nak would be the premiere list. For people who wants receivers lots of options too. Not everyone does though. Try buying a receiver that can do as many speakers as the Nak and its no longer cheap.

[@jelmerkroeke1120]

Please review 990c from Samsung

[@hackztor]

The bass frequency default is very weird at 200Hz but I wonder why Nakamichi did that. Anyone have a clue?

[@matttafakt]

set it at 120k and make sure you have the 2.1 firmware update

[@tech4life884]

For $3900 do you think this could compete with the Emotiva MR1 receiver, 4 klipsch R-12SW, 2 RP-280F towers, and 3 sets of RP160M bookshelf speakers, and the klipsch RP-450C. Im asking because $3900 is about what I paid for this home theater setup.

[@ealanosborne]

You’ll still get more accurate channel separation and object placement with a testimonial system, especially since it takes more work to set it all up. I still prefer a traditional system since I like tinkering with my setup, but I understand those who don’t like to deal with all that crap. 😄🎉

[@MaZEEZaM]

For me powered speaker systems like this and the fantastic Sony HT A9 I think it was named, is that each speaker plus the receiver box in the case of Sony requires a plug socket. In Sony's case that's 6 power plug sockets 5 for the Dragon system vs a single socket required for a traditional receiver with wired speakers. For me in a room with only 2x double wall sockets, running powerboards on a few of them, finding room for just 1 new required socket is a constant issue. I just couldn't add a further 5 or 6 sockets. I'm in a traditional 4 wall room, I'm sure it would be a similar issue with open concept rooms having to run power cables to the middle of the room to power the rear speakers.

[@ealanosborne]

Luckily there’s a hidden socket in the floor beneath my couch, so that’s how I powered the rear surrounds. But I totally get it! I think it’s stilly how all these companies keep claiming “no hassle, wire free setup,” when in fact you still need to deal with a lot of power cords and sockets. 🤷‍♂️😄

[@hectic1219]

If the market wants sound bars like that, I think Sonos has the upper hand of delivering a powerful arc or subs or surrounds in the near future to compete and the beauty you can always keep upgrading

[@ealanosborne]

Sonos has definitely gotten EQ/DSP down much better than Nakamichi, so they have that upper hand. 🤘

[@NikoAbston]

oh snap. i need to get a snack E: that intro was bananas.

[@ealanosborne]

🍌😄🎉 Thank you!

[@juliesczesny90]

I'd hoped to hear a few snippets...I have kille old school Pioneers, that still crank, but haven't heard anything that's been better. And a HUGE base, but forgot the name - was fantastic in the store, just lack the head unit.

[@kx8960]

Being a long time fan of the brand from the '80's, and in fact owning a BX-300 tape deck I bought back in maybe '85 (because I couldn't afford a Dragon deck), I would really like to listen to this. I'm not interested in BUYING it because my home theater now has 7 Focal Chora 826's powered by an Onkyo TX-RZ820 (for now, until I get the NAD M28 I want) plus a dual 10" sub and so it's obviously a LOT better, but for an "all=in-one" box solution, it's probably the best out there, certainly better than any of the Bose cr@p.

[@FatFolksProductions]

Great Review, very detailed. I think the lack of WiFI, Bluetooth , Chromecast..ect isn't a huge deal because most newer displays already have those features. The Dragon would go great with our 75' Samsung QN85B but then my wife would put her foot up my....HELLO....once she found out what the price tag was! 🤭

[@ealanosborne]

🤣🤣 The Wife Acceptance Factor is real! That’s why we got the Frame TV! She wouldn’t go with any other TV

[@hackztor]

@@ealanosborne Or sometimes wifes just do not get their way. What a concept.

[@matttafakt]

i'm working with an electrical engineer that is working on taking the wireless part of the Dragons subs and putting them into (2) 1600sw Klipsch's. :) Looks like i'll need to use the Dragon subs as "non functional dummies" with the signal wire coming from them and going to the Klipsch's. And with the settings for the dragon i'll only be able to choose 1 or 2 subs with only 2 separate subs .. not all 4 Dragon sub speakers... unless i go with 4 separate Klipsch subs, then i'll have to use 2 signal wire pairs coming from each Dragon sub to power 4 smaller 1400sw's (1) in each corner of the room. We may come up with a better alternative. Hope this all makes sense and it's looking very doable so far :) We'll see.

[@ealanosborne]

Whoooaaaa! I always love a good experiment. FOR SCIENCE! 🧪😁

[@matttafakt]

@@ealanosborne Update: The (2) Klipsch 14's are working using the #1 the and #3 dragon sub channels at the moment, and now i'm considering using (4) Klipsch Reference Premiere 1200's instead.. one for each corner of the room. Not sure yet.. i'm really diggin the 14's. I'm really trying to keep this on a budget and (4) 12's may be the right decision in the end. This was a fairly simple and straight forward mod with the help of my friend. Not something just anyone could do without some electronics knowledge and the right tools. So basically all he had to do was disconnect the Naka 8" drivers from the internal amp.. find the preamp signal.. and use each dedicated (preamp) signal wire on the circuit board and solder in some Rca's wires lol. This is not something you can do w/o the system powered up and receiving a signal !!! Also this is something i Do Not suggest the average person that knows nothing about this kind of stuff do, which is Exactly why i had my friend help me with this! Anyway.. There are now 2 pairs of high quality 35"ft long audio RCA's coming out of each of the bass ports from the dummy nakamichi subs now. I really didn't want to run any cables but i will be able to hide them by tucking them under the baseboard and carpet for the cable runs to rear subs.. and i will most likely shorten the front Rca's since the Klipsch's will sit right next to Naka's. Btw.. The Naka cabinets were not modified at all. We're only using 1 pair of Rca's from the left and 1 pair from the right at the moment which is why we're only using the #1 sub left channel and #3 right sub channel. Both the Klipsch subs had the LFE and Gain and phase set and matched to one another before i started adjusting the parameters on the Naka. If i decide to go with 2 more rear 12's or 14's, they will also be matched to front LFE, Gain and phase settings to start with. Now i just need dial this sucker in over the next few days.. so far i love it. I'm sure 90% of Dragon owners will be very very pleased with the Nakamichi subs as am i, but i just wanted more and i wanted to know if it was possible to do what i just did. The Dragon is awesome.. and yes,, SCIENCE IS COOL :)

[@matttafakt]

Btw .. Nakamichi could've easily included this hardware option on their subs ! 2 RCA channels and a bypass switch.. or maybe just a wireless receiver with Rca's to plug into any other current wireless sub which would eliminate even having to use their subs to do what i just did. I'm no expert with electronics but it's 100% possible and i'm wondering if there is anything on the market that already solves this need ?

[@MaZEEZaM]

In your round up, when asking questions like "Can it accurately pinpoint sound like a traditional speaker system? No" You really should have said Not in an open concept room like you have it in, BUT it's likely to be much more accurate in a traditional four wall enclosed room, you don't know as you haven't tested it in such a room.

[@tourenvi1]

Hi, How overall products weight? Thanks

[@ealanosborne]

If I remember correctly, the box it shipped in was about 150 pounds (68 kg)

[@tourenvi1]

Thanks for your reply. That's massive!@@ealanosborne

[@soolee6352]

Thanks!

[@ealanosborne]

OMG, thank you so much!

[@soolee6352]

B.R.O. the replay value of this review alone is insane! I keep going back through the chapters 😂 Imagining the time it took for this review to piece together is daunting. Attention to detail of this caliber is paramount which is why your reviews are so awesome. I salute your dedication to your viewers, keep it coming 🙌

[@ealanosborne]

@@soolee6352 Thanks, man! This was by far my most in-depth and longest review ever. It made sense, though, since it’s the first of its kind and SO many people were very curious about it. I felt it was my duty to do it! 😄🌈